Updated: Microsoft rushes out Windows patch as attacks increase

Microsoft has decided to rush out a fix for a flaw in its Windows operating system, saying that the problem has become too serious to ignore.

Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
April 2, 2007

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Microsoft has decided to rush out a fix for a flaw in its Windows operating system, saying that the problem has become too serious to ignore.

The flaw, which will be patched tomorrow (3 April), was originally disclosed to Microsoft in December, but it was not publicly reported until Wednesday of last week. The bug lies in the way Windows processes .ani Animated Cursor files, which are used to create cartoon-like cursors in Windows.

The fix, MS07-017, will be only the third out-of-cycle patch from Microsoft in more than two years. The announcement comes days after security firm eEye Digital published an unofficial fix for the zero-day flaw.

Since the first attacks based on this flaw were reported, security experts say that more than 100 websites

are now serving up malicious Web pages that take advantage of the bug, and a new worm, has begun spreading in China, according to Symantec.

On Saturday, hackers posted sample code that could be used to exploit the flaw, and shortly after that, Microsoft decided to rush out the emergency patch instead of waiting for its next regularly scheduled set of security updates, due April 10.

"Over this weekend attacks against this vulnerability have increased somewhat," Microsoft Program Manager Christopher Budd wrote on 1 April on the company's Security Response Center blog. "Additionally, we are aware of public disclosure of proof-of-concept code. In light of these points, and based on customer feedback, we have been working around the clock to test this update and are currently planning to release the security update that addresses this issue on Tuesday."

Such early patches are not unprecedented. Microsoft released similar "out-of-cycle" fixes in January and September last year.

For those who cannot wait until Tuesday, two unofficial patches for the problem are now available: The first is from eEye Digital Security, the second was released on 1 April by a volunteer group called the Zeroday Emergency Response Team.

Microsoft's patch has been in the works since security vendor Determina brought the flaw to Microsoft's attention late last year, Budd wrote. "We've been working on our investigation and a security update since then."